72 Hours Remain
by Sinfonian Legend
Summary: What if Katniss had been a year too old to be able to volunteer in Prim's place? This is the world where The Girl on Fire was never brought to the public's attention. Years later, 24 tributes are now going through the nightmarish 100th Hunger Games. Every tribute has a story to tell and an unorthodox weapon to wield. The clock is always ticking…. (AU, Rated T for standard reasons)
1. Dawn of the First Day: 72 Hours Remain

**A/N: I usually do not put author's notes at the beginning of a chapter, but this is an exception. Firstly, I do not own the Hunger Games whatsoever, just the characters and concepts I suppose that do not tie into the original story. Which isn't very much in the grand scheme of things, just don't sue me please.**

**Additionally, to clear a few things up, this fic is NOT about Prim's game. This is about 26 years after that. This is a world that was created because of the actions that were, or should I say weren't, taken in the years of the 74th and 75 Hunger Games. As such...this is what happened. Though...the stories of the original characters of the Hunger Games may crop up here and there throughout this tale. **

Chapter 1: Dawn of the First Day: 72 Hours Remain

"Ladies and gentleman let the unprecedented 100th annual Quarter Quell Hunger Games begin!" The announcer called.

It's really starting. The feeling I'm getting; it's almost like this isn't real. I'm waiting for the moment that I wake up and find out the last few days were all a dream and I'm actually back home, in District 8, in an undersized, but almost comfortable, and familiar bed. But this nightmarish occurrence is reality, so I scanned my surroundings to get an idea of where I should go instead of indulging in wistful thoughts on what should be and what could have been.

We're in someplace dark-a cave. To my left the darkness is interrupted with faint teases of light and to my right it seems to get darker. There's another tribute across from me and we are set up with 12 tributes on each side of the tunnel in the elevator-like tubes we entered the arena in. Ha. It's almost like a crypt. 23 of us here are dead people and, more than likely, I'm one of them and-No, I can't think like that, I need to focus on my surroundings. There's torches sporadically placed between the tubes. I can't see too far down the tunnel, but I do glimpse the shimmer of a large metal object. Ah, I bet it would be the Cornucopia. Meaning us tributes have to choose between an immediate escape out and no supplies, or the Cornucopia, and a bloodbath. Well played Gamemakers. A large brass sound reverberates through the air.

Then all hell breaks loose.

About 5 or 6 tributes sprint to my left, 14 or 15 go to the right, and the rest are still unsure about the situation so they stay put, including me. The girl with the eye patch from District 6 is the first person to say a word-in an urgent, almost shout.

"Stop! If anyone touches the supplies from the Cornucopia the dragon will kill you without hesitation!" she hoarsely screeched. How do we know-What was her name again? Something with an 'F'-was telling the truth? The tributes running deeper into the cave stopped suddenly, struck with consternation. Only one boy ventured further, the kid from District 12. But the girl from his District yanked him back by the scruff of his outfit.

"The dragon mutt is blind. If it senses even the tiniest vibration when you enter the Cornucopia area, you'll die very quickly! Wait until it leaves!" The 23 other tributes let this sink in. Honestly, it didn't particularly matter to me since I was probably going to leave and not risk the bloodbath anyways. They all paused for only a moment.

Or at least they would have paused longer had a growl reverberate down the tunnel. I could have sworn that the temperature dropped severely when that noise was heard. Every head turned to see the source. Luckily for District 12, both tributes dodged the massive orange-yellow flare of light that appeared for only a few precious moments, but lit up the grotesque dragon's face and the surrounding area. The fire-breathing menace was the color of obsidian silk with tiny, but frightfully intelligent grayish blue eyes, like the color of the sky dripped onto a big fluffy cloud. It was a large lizard that was as tall as the passageway and it looked utterly perturbed. Every tribute except Indigo bolted past me. He's from District 8, too, and he's really protective of me for some reason. I dunno why. Maybe it's because I'm 12 years old? He has a pretty big family and he's oldest, so maybe Indigo's just used to being protective…

"Caeda, stop spacing, we need to focus," Indigo sternly redirected me to attention. We started running. The danger felt so far away so I hadn't started immediately. We rejoined our alliance with that girl who just warned everyone, that guy, Finny, from District 4 and that other guy from District 5. "What's our plan Faorin?" The guy from District 5-now I remember, his name is Bubbles! Anyways, he made his way over with Finny to hear our plans from Faorin as we all collectively sprinted out. Alliances probably aren't that good since there's a lot of backstabbing, but hey, they should be okay at the beginning right? There's strength in numbers, or at least that's what our supervisor said all the time at the factory back home. Or at least that's what he said until the Peacekeepers killed him.

"Just get out of here for now and take cover," the eye-patched girl huffed.

It was obvious that running was not her favorite thing in the world to do, but she was obstinate about keeping up. Perhaps it was the fear of the creature that stumbled after us in the dark? Or was it something more?

It wasn't long before we reached the exit and the arena this year was absolutely enormous. Directly in front of us were tall trees with sparse leaves and beyond them were tall spires, presumably connected to a castle. To our right the tall trees faded out in favor of verdant vegetation that grew in with practically no room to maneuver through the woods. Far to the right was a tall citadel that reached past the cloud tops. To the left was a stream rushing down the hillside and the hints of a heavily fortified area were visible off in the distance. The air was cool and sharp, definitely mid-morning*; perfect for high adrenaline rushes and alert senses. "The castle. We can shelter there and come up with a plan from there. It's well fortified, and there is also the probability of finding weapons being high."

"We need to go now!" Indigo hissed through grit teeth as he glanced back to hear quickly approaching footsteps with enormous ground-shaking ones not far behind in pursuit. So Bubbles took off in the lead-he reminds me of a wolf. He can run pretty fast over long distances. We don't actually know what his name is, so I called him Bubbles and that's what everyone calls him now, isn't that cool? I sped up behind him with a burst of energy with Finny right behind me, Faorin lagging a little behind him, and Indigo bringing up the rear to protect us. I glanced back and saw a fiery plume shoot up into the sky. Finny's bright green eyes stared me down incredulously.

"Be glad that wasn't us and keep running!" he huffed, his black jacket all the tributes wore swishing in the wind, since it was unzipped. Oh right, I should probably pay attention since we're running downhill-

"Oof!" I managed to get out a muffled cry as I tripped and started rolling down the hill at an unstoppable speed, right past Bubbles, who simply raised an eyebrow and kept running at his constant pace. Right when I was getting a bit nauseous from the dizzy spinning sensation, my back slammed into a tree. It was scary for a moment: the breath had been knocked out of me and I couldn't breathe right. Indigo sprinted past the rest of the alliance and straight to me with growing panic in his eyes.

"Is anything broken?" he asked quickly. "Are you okay?" I motioned at my throat like I was being choked. "You can't breathe?" he whispered. Before he could try to take action, I took a sputtering gasp.

"I-I-I'm o-okay Indigo," wheezing, I answered. "I'll be fine; let's get moving before other tributes get caught up to us. By now, the alliance had stopped, gazing in awe of the great structure in front of us. It was a tall castle, with two, cloud-reaching spires and a single gate. The soaring walls stood tall and stoically, the gates were wide open. Finny eyed it up warily.

"This could be a trap guys…" he quietly offered the possibility. His lively eyes were nervous and his dark, short bangs were blowing around in the breeze. Faorin, seemed to pause for a moment and give that thought consideration, then decided against it and wordlessly and walked through the gate. Everyone followed. Wow, the grate that bars entrance to the gate when down looks really sharp and pointy from the ground here...Anyways, we arrived in a small courtyard. To our left was a staircase leading up to the walls to defend from and an identical staircase lay to our right, but immaculate pillars supported a second floor while leaving this ground floor open to the elements. Indigo left to go close the gate. Faorin sighed and sat down on the grass, motioning for the rest of us to do the same.

"We barely know each other, and as much as I dislike activities such as this one, I think we should get to know each other a little better." There was an awkward silence until Faorin sighed, "I'll go first I suppose." Bubbles rarely spoke, if at all. I think I've only heard him talk once, and it was for the Interview. His voice is so melodic, it's a shame he doesn't use it more often. Maybe it sounds more beautiful because he rarely uses it? Finny was always sort of nervous, and Indigo wasn't present. "Look, I don't want to be here just as much as you all do," she whispered in a low voice, even softer than her usual quiet speaking tone, "and I would rather die than betray someone I can call a comrade or friend." She resumed her usual tone as she spoke, alleviating the heavy silence it would have been otherwise.

"I was born in District 6. I lived in a lab for the majority of my life. I'm 16 years old," she started off bluntly, "and I wear a flipping eye patch." I burst into a giggling fit. It isn't that she tries to be funny, it is just that her wording and humor is extremely entertaining, I swear! Finny turned his colorful gaze to her curiously.

"Why?"

It was such a simple question. Immediately, a wide spectrum of emotions played across her face. Fear. Agony. Wonder. Bitterness. Depression. Power. In a moment it had completely passed, and I am sure I'm the only one who noticed. She started to reach for her eye patch with a shaky breath.

All of a sudden, the sound of creaking chains filled the silent air and the gate leisurely lowered downward until it sunk into the ground. Indigo trotted back down a staircase.

"I've secured an escape route back there just in case something goes wrong here," he reported. Even though he was the oldest, we let Faorin take charge, not for her physical strengths, but for her talents as a leader and strategist.

"We can go back to doing introductions later," Faorin hastily told us. "First, we need to scout out the area. Let's all go down the wall Indigo patrolled so we have a logically fast escape if we need it. "With a collective nod, our ragtag group headed up the stairs together on high alert. Okay, everyone but me was on high alert. I noticed something interesting out of the little window out of the wall.

"What is that guy doing?" I wondered aloud softly, earning odd looks from everyone else. They all looked out a window and stared in astonishment and incredulity. If I couldn't believe what I was seeing there was no way they wouldn't be absolutely stunned.

"Is he...plugging a hair dryer… into a castle wall?" Finny said slowly to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. Bubbles slowly nodded with blatant confusion on his face. Indigo kept looking down the hallway like he was prepared for something to leap out of the shadows, but was still completely baffled by the scene below him.

"I think I understand what he's attempting to do, but I still can't believe it might work," Faorin stated faintly. "Why would he have a hair dryer in these games? The Gamemakers must have felt especially cruel this year." I gulped.

"That doesn't bode well for us at all," I whispered, mostly to myself, but everyone else felt a seed of dread take hold in the pits of their stomachs. What if there really weren't any supplies at the Cornucopia and only hair products? How did he find a hair dryer to begin with? Most of all, why hasn't anything in this castle tried to kill us yet?

**Did you enjoy? The ending is a bit rushed, but I promise to alleviate that in the next chapter. Maybe. Reviews and constructive criticism are most welcome!**

***Imagine about 10 AM**

**-Legend**


	2. The First Day: 70 Hours Remain

Chapter 2: Noon of the First Day: 70 Hours Remain

We decided to stand and watch the boy for at least a few moments. What he was doing was most peculiar, so Indigo kept a lookout on the castle passageways while we observed. He appeared to be waiting for the right moment, holding the plugged in hair dryer over the water. Only moments later, a girl burst out of the brush back from where we came, barely panting, but running very quickly. She did not hesitate to jump in the stream to get to the other side. She had light blonde-white hair, and stunning blue eyes. I remember her now! Her name is Shiki Hanemuna. I recall seeing her interview: she was so soft-spoken and sweet! I wonder how she's going to get by during these games…she only looked over information during training, but apparently whatever she did for the Gamemakers was outstanding, because she received a solid score of 10-

"Oh no," Faorin whispered hoarsely. "He's seriously not going to...no way." I didn't understand what she was freaking out over. I glanced over at her in utter puzzlement. What could she possibly be worried about? All he had in his possession was a hair dryer! Bubbles looked at me with solemn green eyes, the color of a summer forest.

"He is going to electrocute her using the power from the hair dryer," he stated flatly, his usually musical voice oddly devoid of emotional value, staring at me unflinchingly before redirecting his attention back to the window. As soon as Shiki hit the water, the boy dropped the hair dryer into the water with a quiet 'sploosh' noise. Instantly, the air was filled with an inhumanly high-pitched screech. The feminine wail made me want to rip my own ears out-the pitch and frequency alone was enough to make me feel the need to grit my teeth together and be forced to the floor out of sheer pain. I have heard people cry out in pain before, or their death screams reaching such a fever pitch the noise left a lasting impression on my mind. But never before had a scream seemed so inhuman. A human voice should not be able to hit those pitches. Therefore either there was some sort of mutt somewhere…or Shiki wasn't human. Instantaneously after a few moments, the awful noise stopped. I took a moment to look out our window. Both Shiki and the guy were gone, but there were no cannon shots sounded. So it must have been a monster. Indigo took the initiative to start moving forward.

"Whatever happened to them does not apply to us," he said sternly. "We must keep our heads and clear out any possibility of danger from the castle before we can relax. Or at least hole up somewhere safer than the middle of the courtyard." With a few affirmative nods, we headed down the hallway. I fell behind Finny, but after Bubbles and Faorin. I noticed that Finny's hands were shaking badly, so I came up beside him.

"Are you okay?" I asked quietly so that none of the others could hear. I have a feeling he wouldn't want to voice his fears to the group.

"I'm fine." His voice warbled slightly, when he answered with an ever so slight hesitation. I frowned.

"That's not what I asked. I said are you okay?"

He would have stopped walking if he could have but his breathing stopped for a second. It was obvious he was surprised about my question, but he really did not want to answer it at the moment. Luckily for him, Faorin sprinted past us and tackled Indigo to the ground. Before anyone could say anything, an enormous curved blade swung just where Indigo would have been, like the pendulum of a clock with added deadliness.

"How do you know about these things?" he burst out, getting up safely on the other side from us since the blade was still swinging. He helped her up, but he still looked desperate for answers. "The dragon, then this? There is no way it's a coincidence that you knew of both."

"It's hard to explain," she weakly tried to reply. The lack of an adequate response seemed to bother both of them. "But can we please find shelter first? You know I wouldn't use this ability to harm any of you." Indigo stared her down with his dark, well…indigo eyes for a moment before pivoting on his heels and walking further down the corridor. He glanced back. "Stay close, all of you."

The rest of our time through the castle was fairly uneventful. Though the stone hallways and elegant archways were pretty to look at, there were very little other things aside from a great hall with a full dining table that could seat at least 100 people. However, there was no food to be found. That is, until Bubbles motioned us over to a thick wooden door with the word 'Armory' engraved into it.

"How are we supposed to get in there?" Finny quietly exclaimed. "There's no door handle!" There was a moment of silence as everyone thought intensely. That is, until Bubbles backed up, then charged into the door, knocking it down. Sometimes, I seriously underestimate that guy's strength. It was dimly lit, and what I saw was something I honestly did not expect. I saw the walls lined up with the most exotic weaponry I had ever seen. I looked up and down the rows for a simple bow or shortsword, but no such luck. There was a strange whip-like weapon that had several metal 'tails' instead of one whip's 'tail'. There were also these iron shell-like weapons that looked like you were supposed to hold them. Indigo almost seemed to smile when he picked up this spear-like weapon. With a single motion, he had moved into a defensive position. He then jabbed the pike forward and it actually extended a few feet like a tape measurer! He seemed to operate the extension with a button by pressing and holding it to control when it comes out, and to return it to its usual size. I directed my attention over to Bubbles, who had found a simple oaken staff taller than he was. Considering he was almost six feet tall, that was considerable. Faorin had been raiding a cabinet for something, but when she stepped away, she had a small knife blade between each finger and had stuffed some into her jacket pockets and sleeves. I hope she doesn't cut herself on accident; those blades don't have any handles. She'll probably throw them or something. Finny seemed to route around through weaponry from every point of the spectrum before settling on a simple trident. He seemed a bit more confident with that in hand. Perhaps it reminded him of his father, who had won one of the games with the very same kind of weapon…

"Caeda, what will you choose?" Finny called over to me. Nothing seemed to really appeal to me. I either had no clue how to use it or had no desire to attempt to. Then I saw it.

"That's it!" I whispered conspiratorially under my breath, not intending for anyone else to hear. I darted over to a shelf to see a small, black soft case and opened it to see thin, metal rods with incredibly sharp ends. A ring attached to it showed that they could be attached to each hand, since they were a pair of weapons. So I eagerly equipped them, seeing as they were small and easily concealed. It turns out that the ring pivots separately from the actual rod, so I can do some fancy hand tricks with it. After all, I have gained some dexterity from working at a sewing machine for the majority of my life. Or at least I think I have…my hand-eye coordination still sucks though. I put the soft case in my jacket pocket and rejoined the group.

"Well now what do we do?" Finny asked with a sigh. Everyone looked at Indigo. If he hasn't figured out he's the unofficial leader yet, he has now.

"Let's explore a bit," he said after a moment of thinking. "And you," he jabbed a finger at Faorin, "have some explaining to do."

"Alright," she sighed with a hint of nervousness. It has been obvious she's hiding something; must be a terrible liar to begin with. After about ten minutes of walking around uneventfully, Indigo's unrelenting stare got to her. "Okay, okay, I'll tell you already." Everyone directed their attention to her with perked ears and curious glances. She took off her eye patch.

"You know what District 6 is known for, right?" she stated rhetorically with absolute quiet. "Muttations. Experiments. Of which I am included." On her uncovered eye was a blood-red design that just looked painful. Her eyes had a double iris effect; the outside was a normal green, the inside was bright blue flecked with gold. A blade cut through her pupil and diagonal arrows symmetrically pierced it as well. Almost as if her eye was a target for an expert to practice with… "It's a brand they gave me. Don't ask me what they did to me, because I don't know. But sometimes, in times of mortal peril, I can see moments, or even minutes into the future. That's how I knew about the dragon, the blade, and everything." Everyone silently kept walking. It is a hard concept to believe…to think that the technology to see into the future exists. I believed her story though. Why not? It is best to keep an open mind, after all. Perhaps the belief could save my life someday. Not that it matters, I'm probably going to die anyways.

"Does it hurt?" Finny asked softly. She winced at the question as if it stung her; bad memories perhaps?

"Yes…and I'm blind in that eye as well."

"I don't understand." Indigo cut in, looking serious and confused. " Why would you tell us, your potential enemies, that kind of information?" She was shocked to her core, her mouth forming a small 'O'.

"Because you're my only chance of surviving here!" Faorin cried, "There's not much else going for me! I can't run, I can't fight, and I don't stand a chance surviving on my own." At once she went from looking like a confident, cool-headed tactical genius to a broken teenager.

"Something's coming," Bubbles warned. "Something buzzing." Buzzing? What could be buzzing inside a castle..? Immediately I saw it racing down the hallway. An enormous spinning saw blade was charging down the hallway running on a track that was hidden beneath the carpet. "Run now!"

Immediately I sprinted the opposite direction regardless of what anyone else did. Bubbles ran beside me and Finny directly behind me. I glanced over my shoulder to see Faorin falling behind and Indigo running in front of her.

"I'm not going to make it!" she screeched in terror, her eyes far away. There was a good chance she was watching herself die if her story was true. "I-I-I'm going to run out of energy and die!" Indigo bit his lip, I saw. Then he made a split second decision.

He turned around, thrust his pike into the track, and picked up Faorin. They were falling farther and farther behind us. The hack saw stopped at the perfect angle, as if the pike had actually stopped it. It snapped into shreds and sped even faster after the duo.

"The turnoff is right ahead, Indigo!" I yelled back helpfully. But my heart stopped in my chest when I saw the saw about to overtake them. I saw fear flashing in Indigo's eyes. If they both die, what will happen to us? They're our leaders, and the strongest of us all. If they go down, what chance do we have?

**If you've ever played Super Mario World, imagine the hack saw as those crazy ones in the castles/fortresses. Except they're three dimensional and the size of a small hallway moving twice the speed. ****Tell me your thoughts!  
**

**-Legend**


	3. The First Day: 68 Hours Remain

Chapter 3: Early Afternoon of the First Day: 68 Hours Remain

**A/N: I do not own the concept of the Hunger Games. I do however, own these characters. This applies to all chapters concerning this tale.**

Bubbles spun back and used his staff to block the entire hallway and stuck it at such an angle that it would not move. Indigo cleared the staff with a quick and well-timed jump and continued to run, taking ragged breaths. The deadly saw was jammed perfectly. I made the turnoff and poked my head around the corner. Finny whizzed by and Bubbles close after. Indigo and Faorin made it! Everyone collapsed in the great hall of the castle. It seemed to be a dining hall, with long wooden tables and benches, a high ceiling like a parabolic curved triangle, and an empty throne at the far end. Colorful banners, masterpiece textile work, hung on nearly every inch of wall space not occupied by paintings.

"Why?" Faorin wheezed as soon as enough air entered her lungs to function enough to speak. "Why did you sacrifice your weapons and potentially your lives to save me?" Bubbles only shrugged.

"Because you can't just give up like that," Indigo coughed. "Just because you could see what happens doesn't mean you can't change it. You've proven that by saving my life before, haven't you? Besides, we can just make another trip to the armory for weapons. There was an abundance of every kind of weapon there." Indigo is right in all his wisdom. The future can be changed…maybe even mine.

"Why don't we take shifts to go in pairs and camp in the main hall in the meantime?" I suggested. All things considering, this would be an easy place to defend. It would be hard to launch a sneak attack and there are plenty of places to duck and cover. "Indigo, go with Faorin to the armory and we'll stay here and keep a guard. Bubbles will keep us safe." Indigo gave a wary glance to us and stood up, holding a hand out to Faorin to help her up. She took it gratefully; after all, her hand was trembling more than an autumn leaf on the breeze. They left us in silence. Finny decided to break it.

"Uh, Bubbles…I have a stupid question," he awkwardly started, attempting to make conversation with the 6'5", stoic enigma. "Why is your name Bubbles?" He sighed and blushed ever so slightly, like he really did not want to answer that. It's okay, I will!

"I started calling him that, so everyone else did," I simply stated. "His actual name is this really long string of numbers and stuff-"

"AbX32o1-999," Bubbles dully finished. "In our District, when a child is born, the father goes to a computer and inputs the child's name and sex into the system. My father was drunk." The musical tone in his voice was dark, like he was really bitter about the subject.

"So since that's a mouthful, I started calling him Bubbles and now everyone else does, too!" I excitedly explained. It's because of that time during training when we were testing out exotic objects. Bubbles was playing with a bubble blower when I asked him what his name was. So I decided to give him that nickname, and what do you know, it stuck. Although to have a name of a string of letters and numbers…that has to suck.

"Oh um…wow," Finny could only say with surprise. We sat there in silence a while longer until Finny piped up again. "I never met my father." His voice is so meek; like he's afraid to speak his mind for some reason… "I've always heard he was a good man though." I recall when the Capitol transported someone from District 4 to educate us on the finer points of working with rope. He had used video clips from prior Hunger Games: especially ones with Finnick Odair.

"You look a lot like him," I added. His hair is definitely darker than his father's, probably from his mother, but his eyes are the same ageless sea-green color. He seemed to zone out a bit and stared unseeingly into the air, deep in thought. "My dad died when I was younger." Finny snapped his gaze back towards me in surprise. "I remember he was big, warm, and kind. He had a much better job than mom, so when he passed we had to move to the poor side of the District. Mom had to do desperate things to keep us both alive..." She had to shave her head and sell her hair a few times, she lost a few teeth and sold those, and did some truly filthy things for my benefit, and for that, and I will unerringly respect her because of it.

"How did he pass?" Finny asked gently. Images flashed through my mind like sketched lighting strikes. Men in white uniforms, my mother screaming, the accepting look on my father's face, and the unmistakable sound of a gunshot reverberating through the air momentarily paralyzed me, but I shook it off. It isn't real, it isn't real. It is the past. What is done, is done.

"He…was involved in some bad stuff. Someone had seen him and told a higher-up. Mom later told me he was a Resistance leader in our District," I let the explanation hang in the air while Finnian could only stare at me with wide eyes and Bubbles with a mildly sympathetic expression. In order to distract myself from newly unsealed hollowness, I twirled my new weapons about my middle finger aimlessly and mock-stabbed at opponents, mulling over everything that's happened in this Game and in my own past.

Then it hit me. A peculiar epiphany hit me like a brick to the back of the head. I could sense my eyes widening and my breath catching in my throat in shock. Finnian suddenly looked at me in concern. "What is it? Are you okay?"

"Finny," I breathlessly managed. "It's been so quiet." He stared at me, utterly baffled at why that was shocking me. "What's missing? What's in every Hunger Games that hasn't sounded once?" He stared at me, equal parts shock and amazement within his sea-green eyes.

"The cannon shots," he whispered. Bubbles immediately looked over at us, eyebrows raised. "But…."

"It's been about four and a half hours, and there are still 24 tributes? Impossible, Finny," I conspiratorially scoffed. "And it doesn't make sense with something I overheard, either." All of a sudden, footstep echoes pounded down the cool stone hallways. Indigo and Faorin appeared, carrying weapons actively and red-faced, like they had just talked about something they really did not want to discuss beforehand.

"Bubbles, Caeda, Finny," Indigo called over in a slightly embarrassed tone, "Why don't we all go to the armory together?" It was an odd suggestion…did something happen that made them feel awkward while they were together getting weapons? Nevertheless, I hopped off of the mahogany table and jogged over to them. Finny and Bubbles both walked. Talk about a lack of energy. I don't understand why they would act so sluggish and lethargic; the conversations had while Indigo and Faorin were gone were rather depressing, but you need to be on your toes! These are the Hunger Games! Anything can happen, anytime, anywhere.

"What happened?" I curiously inquired to Indigo. He mumbled something I couldn't hear. "What was that?" He just glared at me, obviously discomposed about something. He looked up ahead and froze. The armory is only ten feet ahead, I don't understand-

"Go!" He hissed. "Run! Now!" Completely bewildered, we made a mad dash for the door and Indigo shoved a bookcase conveniently next to the door over the empty doorway. "Why did we knock the door down again?" he sighed rhetorically.

"Bubbles, you should grab a staff quickly," Faorin suggested with a worried tone. I could swear the brand on her eye was glowing just a little… Bubbles managed to snag an off-white staff that looked very weighty and shined like it had been recently polished, much like a precious stone.

"What do you see?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me. I know, I know, curiosity killed the cat. Yet satisfaction brought it back, so I decided to query anyways. She frowned.

"You wouldn't believe it but, a giant mutant bird is sticking its long neck through the closest window and is trying to kill us currently," she stated, obviously bewildered. "This bookcase should hold it back though." At that moment, the bookcase shattered into a thousand pieces, books flying everywhere and knocking random assorted weapons over in a thunderous crash, and showing us the bird's head alone, which was the size of the doorway. Its facial plumage was bright blue and red, and it had a fanged, curved beak. When it squawked, its cry sounded like nails on a chalkboard intensified greatly and its pupils shrunk to nothing more than slits as it sighted us. Clearly it was hostile, and looking to us for a meal.

Bubbles proceeded to smash the heavy stave into the bird's face. Only now do I realize it was a carved ivory staff. I remember when dad told me a story about creatures called elephants with huge ivory tusks that could be fashioned into all sorts of useful things. And how they were extinct because of something that wasn't their fault, it was just part of them. The crack that sounded seemed to indicate broken bones or cartilage. The avian screeches and lunges for him, but misses. Its neck won't stretch any farther, luckily. The bird's beady eyes target me with murderous flames clearly visible in its eyes. By some kind of reflex I sidestepped.

And I drove both of my needle-like daggers into the bird's massive eye.

"Caeda?!" Indigo could only shout in surprise and shock at the dark blood, spurting out of the avian creature's eye. It was so simple…it was like using a needle to pop a balloon. Well, two needles, but it helps me realize something. I can be useful. I can make a difference. I might even live through this ordeal…just maybe.

Just maybe. It's the semblance of hope I can grasp. The bird spasms in pain and I could only watch as Bubbles shoves a bookcase on top of its long feathered neck. It can't move under the weight and slowly begins to suffocate. Only a minute or so passes until the monstrosity finally settles down and dies. Everyone, AbX32o1-999, Indigo, Faorin, and Finnian, stares at me in appreciation and respect.

"Caeda, that was," Indigo attempted to manage, "beautifully executed." It felt like time slowed down even, but I wouldn't say it was particularly graceful.

"Nice job," Bubbles gruffly mumbled with an extremely faint ghost of a smile. Is he…proud of me? Bubbles said rarely anything to anyone, yet he sparingly used words to give me praise. I couldn't help but smile upon realizing this.

"You handled it like it was nothing," Faorin praised, "I could never do that in a million years." Of course she could, especially when she can see the future and change it.

"I never knew you could fight," Finny attempted to sound awed and respectful, but really only sounded halfhearted and kind of terrified. He was trembling like a leaf. I finally was able to confirm my suspicions.

"Finny," I softly said, "You can't kill, can you?" He looked up at me with guilt written across his face. He shook his head, confirming my speculation.

"How could you?" he weakly answered with his own question. "I thought you were like me. I thought I wasn't alone." I stared at him pityingly. He's never had to face such a choice. I swallowed, realizing the heavy silence of all eyes and ears paying attention to me. Me, Caeda Diapason, the little girl from District 8. Me, the harmless one, who should go down faster than a stack of cards. Me, who killed a bird muttation the size of a building.

"Finny," I started, keeping my voice as level as possible. "The night they took my dad away, they didn't just take him away." He stared at me, unable to comprehend what I was insinuating. "They gave me a semi-automatic rifle loaded with a full cartridge. They said to do what they said or I would die along with my mother. My dad told me to do it. My mom pleaded I didn't. I had to choose."

I could feel the tension in the room building, as eyes widened and stared at me unbelievingly in a new light.

"They forced me to kill him."

**Well then. I was incredibly excited to write this chapter! Let me know how you enjoyed it! I consider this one a downtime chapter. But it illuminates the stories of my ever-lovely characters who I have lovingly crafted landfills of backstory for. Each and every one. Yeah.**

**By the way, there's a little name clarification I want to address. Faorin's name is pronounced (pardon my inability to properly express these) Fow (as in ow! referring to pain, with an F at the beginning) -rihn. And Caeda's name is pronounced Kay-da. Her last name is pronounced Dye-uh-pay-zun. **

**Thank you for reading and reviewing! **

**-Legend**


	4. The First Day: 66 Hours Remain

Afternoon of the First Day: 66 Hours Remain

"W-What did you do?" Finny stuttered in hurried astonishment, eyes growing wider than dinner plates. I looked at him.

"What else could I do?" I shot back. Dad's last words rang in my ears. 'Don't hold it against Caeda, dear. Let her do it. Remember I love you bo-' Both. The peacekeepers thought they were doing me a favor when they knocked him unconscious then. Thought it would be easier for me to do it without his bright blue eyes, just like mine, egging me on in defeated acceptance. My father, who would never give up for anything or anyone, begging me to take his life; I felt something inside me give and wither away into nothing. Along with it went my hope and faith in this world-after all, if my father, the embodiment of everything good in my life, was about to face premature death, then the world knows no kindness. But that's why we were there, wasn't it? Why else would the peacekeepers-those who are portrayed as helpful mediators and those who defend the weak and loyally follow the strong- target someone who took that very creed to heart and did that job without the title? But time was short; I could feel the cold ruthless metal against my petite frame, the strap over my shoulder. That gun didn't care what it killed, as long as it did its job. That's all it knew how to do. It wasn't its fault it was a killing machine. I had closed my eyes and slowly began to squeeze the trigger. It wasn't enough force to trigger it, so I quickly jerked the trigger back, tears streaming down my cheeks now. Onetwothreefourfivesixseveneightnineten bullets. Each impacting a body with sickening cracks and thuds. Mom screeched and cried out in hysterical, bottomless loss. 'Caedababyhowcouldyoudothishowcouldyoudothis HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?' The recoil from the gun pushed me onto the ground. I was hyperventilating when they took the horrible power to kill so efficiently away, a mess of tears, shaking, and guilt. Only after they had taken his body away and meticulously cleaned away the bloodstains on the wall to hide the evidence had I realized something that I regret to this day.

I could have shot them instead of dad. I could have saved dad and we could have ran and escaped. "I could have shot the peacekeepers but I shot my father," I whispered. "That's what I could have done."

"Caeda are you okay?" Faorin asked in concern. Her words forcefully pulled me back to reality, and thankfully so. Only then did I notice the tears just bubbling over my eyes and spilling down my cheeks.

"No…I'm not," I bluntly stated quietly. "I never have been and never will be, Faorin." Faorin's mouth hung slightly ajar in shock, then guilt. Bubbles shook his head slowly in disbelief. Indigo bowed his head almost in respectful remembrance. And Finnian had apology written all over his face.

"I…I'm so sorry, Caeda!" He burst out, "I didn't know…that's horrible! How could they make you do that?" I sighed, releasing some kind of built up pressure and my shoulders sagged. I knew whatever I would say next would come out pained, but I decided to say something anyways.

"It's alright Finny. That was years ago," I quietly tried to amend his backpedaling-esque apologizing tirade that had just started. Indigo's head snapped up and looked at me piercingly with an accusatory look in his eyes.

"That was only two years ago Caeda," Indigo's heated stare bore into me like sunlight through a magnifying glass. Dad gave one to me when I was younger, but this bully knocked it out of my hands and it shattered. "We were in the same apartment complex. I saw everything. I'll never forget that night." It was now my turn to look surprised. But before I could say anything, a bone-chilling screech rang through the air. The fallen bird corpse's head was forcefully yanked away with the speed of the trains we used to get to the Capitol. Bubbles was the first to see where it went, soundlessly bounding out of the room. Tense moments passed until he poked his head in and gestured to follow in an alarming manner. I reacted first and stepped out with as subtle footsteps as I could manage. Bubbles held a finger to his mouth urgently for absolute silence, then pointed to the window. Out the hole in the wall, perched over the bird and currently feeding on its corpse, was the dragon from before in all its hideous glory; the blind dragon that had somehow made its way here. That has wings and can fly apparently…maybe it isn't blind and just can't see in the dark too well? I motioned to everyone else to approach in silence. It was almost comical how Faorin's mouth formed a small 'o' in surprise. The monstrosity continued to stay absorbed in tearing apart the hide of the great bird. I tiptoed past as silently as I could walk. But apparently it wasn't silent enough, because its head shot up and looked straight at me with a predatory gaze, going silent. Those few moments when I simply locked eyes with the creature seemed to last forever until it reared its head and roared, launching up towards the windows with jaws agape and rows upon rows of sharp teeth exposed. I could only sprint out to the way, my alliance behind me.

"This isn't safe! Maybe we could leave through the other side!" Indigo yelled. "The quick escape isn't going to work here!" I needed to think fast since I was leading for now. The best course of action would be to get somewhere the dragon couldn't go, but where? It can obviously fly and thanks to the central courtyard, it could probably access anywhere.

"The steps!" I called back to my alliance, shooting down said steps to my left two at a time, as fast as I could move without tripping and falling flat on my face. I could only hope I had made the right decision. That dragon could easily cave in this tower and kill us, but it's better than risking being out in the open and getting picked off one by one. I could hear Bubble's heavy footsteps, Faorin's ragged, panicked breathing, Finny's light footsteps, and Indigo's heavy breathing as we descended the spiral metal staircase. At last I reached the ground floor and saw exactly what I was gambling our lives on-a trapdoor. Immediately, I knelt and dusted it off, attempting to pry it off afterwards. Not a single budge. No. No. No! I made the wrong choice; I'm going to get us all killed. It's not the first time I've made a bad decision. 'Don't hold it against Caeda, dear.' But it's all my fault he's dead and it will be entirely my fault that we're all going to die here.

"It's stuck!" I shouted, my voice noticeably an octave than its usual pitch. My heart rate was jittering erratically, not sure whether to be racing, panicking, or attempting to calm down. Indigo appeared first, Faorin right behind him with Bubbles still running down the last few sets. As Indigo's eyes searched the room wildly for something to pry the trapdoor open with, I heard it. A terrified scream echoing from higher up, belonging to none other than Finnian Odair, pierced the very air with fear in its purest form.

"Fire! Caeda, Faorin, someone!" his desperate boyish screech had the unforgettable intensity of somebody moments away from a horrifying fate. "HELP!" I looked up and saw an incredibly fear-inducing thing. The very metal stairs we just descended were turning red and bright yellow under heat exposure. The dragon breathed fire. And it….Finny….maybe he…

Silence. No footsteps. No sound at all except our breathing and the sound of the hatch creaking open as it was pried open by Indigo. He had found a spare spear lying around that he was able to utilize.

"I got the trapdoor open." He stated quietly. "We need to hurry. There's nothing else we could have done-" Those very words struck a dark chord with me, a minor sound with none of the harmonic beauty and all the ominous overtones.

"Nothing else we could have done?" I asked just as softly with a malicious undertone to my voice. I sensed that my voice would rise in volume as I spoke, but I didn't care. "We could have reached out to him. We could have backtracked at little and done nothing more than held a hand out and it could have saved his life! Now look what we've done!" Tears were coming to my eyes again. The boy who faced a legacy he couldn't live up to because he was too meek, too unwilling to lose himself by killing another. It wasn't his fault that he has been met with this fate.

Fate is never anyone's fault. Not elephants, not guns, and not dear Finny. To be blunt, he's lucky he lived this long since he was with us, but-

"We don't have time for this," Indigo attempted to get us moving, eyes filled with grief. Then I heard it, over the sound of the ceiling shaking and the dragon's faraway roars. I pushed past Bubbles and ran around the corner and up the staircase in hopes of seeing that one person-

"Hey," Finny weakly greeted me. "I'm okay." Okay was an overstatement if I've ever heard one. He seemed to have a scalding burn on his left arm and a milder blistering burn on his left leg, but he was functional, and alive, which is what mattered.

He's alive. It's okay. Everything will be okay.

"Thank goodness you are." I replied gently, with a quick sideways hug to avoid his left side. I started to help him walk down a few more steps by supporting his left side, but he only had a mild limp.

"You know, Caeda," he started to say thoughtfully, "If we had gone through courtyard to the other side and that happened to me, I would be dead as a doornail right now. Seems like you made a good decision!" I…I suppose so. Maybe I don't always make such bad decisions…we reached the ground floor relatively quickly. Finnian was met with shocked surprise from Bubbles, as well as fading guilt from Indigo. Faorin had gone down the trapdoor while I left, and Bubbles nodded at me with approval. Indigo helped carry Finny down. I went down after Indigo and Bubbles went down last. The ladder was long and dank, as is expected with the darkness. By the time we had all reached the bottom, the sound of massive avalanche of falling stones and bricks emanated from the very walls around us. Luckily the hatch above held, though it was now unusable considering we were blocked in.

"This is…interesting," Finny struggled to describe the area, causing Faorin to pivot on her heels in shock.

"Finny! You're alive!" she exclaimed, a joyous smile on her face. "And only with minor injuries!" He smiled back tiredly.

"Yeah," he agreed. "Only because Caeda came back for me to see if I was." Faorin looked on at me with something that could only be described as pride. But I was a little preoccupied with the scenery to respond. The expansive cavern before me was filled with stalactites and stalagmites alike, with small pools reflecting light all over the cave ceiling, creating an eerie beauty to the scene. Torches were sporadically placed close enough to not allow dark patches, but far enough away not to bring the area above a dim lighting.

"Only one way to go, I suppose," I sighed, looking onward at the little pathway between sharp rocks and slick stones. So onward we walked, talking quietly while keeping a lookout for danger and keeping to the lit paths in an attempt to make do with what we had. Eventually the cave shrunk down to nothing more than a wide, dimly lit tunnel with the infrequent instances of water dripping down from the ceiling. Occasionally we saw rats or bats, but they were not hostile and would tend to run/fly away squeaking in panic. I suspect an hour and a half passed before something interesting happened.

"The lights don't go any further?" Indigo stated questioningly in disbelief. "That's really peculiar…" Unless…this cave system seems quite expansive. I wonder if this is a way to hide an entrance or exit? Without really thinking it through, I crept past and up the passage into total darkness, though the floor was definitely sloping upward sharply, as soundlessly as I could humanly manage. I popped out into a larger room, with an enormous structure immediately in front of me.

A wisp of light reflected off of the grandiose enigma in front of me, cold to touch, and obviously metallic. It was golden. And I heard two voices emanating from the other side.

"Hey, I'll check around it and see if we missed anything," said some guy's voice.

My heart slammed to a momentary stop and I froze as careless footsteps approached from the left side, accompanied by a beam of light; a flashlight.

**Finally, new people! It's about time! Also, if you aren't a big reviewer fan, it would be much appreciated if you would vote on the poll in my profile. The unique thing about this story is that it can and will change based off of reader feedback. Of course the best way to obtain that is through reviews, but before I got an account on here I would rarely ever review. I'm actually planning on putting up a compilation of all the 'what-if?' scenarios and outtakes of this story. Actually, this chapter had a completely different way of turning out. Tell me your thoughts!**

**-Legend**


	5. The First Day: 64 Hours Remain

**Chapter 5: Late Afternoon: 64 Hours Remain**

"Ack!" he yelped at me, the intruder, in astonishment, reaching for something on his back urgently. "Jason! There are people back here!" I recognized the teenager before me as Locke Gedeckt from District 7, the lumber capital of Panem. His hair was a dirty blonde and his green eyes wide with shock. Fortunately, I didn't give Jason time to come around and see what the problem was; I hurriedly ducked and made a U-turn, then skidded haphazardly down the slanted terrain hoping Locke would only think he hallucinated seeing someone. It was only moments before I caught up to my alliance, who all awaited my report with cautious and puzzled faces.

"Two guys up there," I huffed. "They're the only ones there at the Cornucopia." Indigo's eyebrows shot up in interest.

"The Cornucopia?" he asked in pleasant surprise. "Are you sure?" When the light had trickled down onto the immense structure before me while I was up there, I had seen a golden glint. Locke's flashlight had hit it carelessly, and the woven tarnished gold pattern was unmistakable.

"It couldn't have been anything else," I confirmed. "But they'll more than likely be trying to find us any minute now-" Just as I had expressed the urgency of the situation, the sound of a solid crack filled the air. Up ahead, Bubbles was fending off a dark-haired guy with a scarily rectangular blade-a cleaver. He had jumped out of nowhere but Bubbles had blocked the blow with his staff with unerring precision.

"Are you hostile?!" The boy yelled as he expertly attempted to strike Bubbles with the glinting butcher's tool. Bubbles, just as seasoned with staves it seems, shrugged off each driving attack, gaining in ferocity with every blow, like water off a duck's back.

"No!" Faorin, bewildered, said for Bubbles since he rarely said anything at all. "But evidently you are!" She whipped something out of her hand fluidly, causing the dark haired boy to suddenly halt usage of his right leg. He growled in frustration when she did it again and his legs were immobilized. Only when Indigo shone the torchlight directly at him did I see that Faorin had thrown those knives she had picked up earlier from the armory that effectively pinned his feet to the earthen floor. Since he could no longer utilize evasion, Bubbles easily knocked his cleaver out of his hand and onto the ground.

"If you're not hostile don't kill him!" a familiar voice burst out of the darkness, accompanied with the sound of something whistling through the air past my ear and sticking solidly onto the wall between Bubbles and the guy. I quickly glanced back to see what it was and noticed a tomahawk jutting out from the wall, perfectly thrown in such a way that it would have very well maimed or killed Bubbles had he made a move to get closer to the boy. It was very close to causing me that kind of harm as well…In front of me was Locke, breathing heavily and glaring with distrust at all of us, making sure that none of us would try anything. In his hand was another tomahawk. He spoke calmly, albeit clearly unnerved. "See Jason, I told you violence was not the answer here…"

"This is the Hunger Games!" our hostage spat, and then brushed his bangs to the right with his hand quickly like the length annoyed him greatly. Now that I had a better look at him I could remember who he was. Jason Hollow of District 10- a butcher's son who was just trying to make a living. Or at least that's how his story was spun until his designers decided he should look as intimidating and evil as possible and forced him to undergo a surgery that permanently changed the pigmentation of his eyes to a deep red color. Had Jason not been someone with an almost constant scowl on his face, it would have almost been a pretty coloration. His eyes darted about the room trying to keep track of us all and what supplies and weaponry we had on hand. I chose to keep my dart-like daggers hidden up my sleeves. The worst they would notice would be the rings on my middle fingers. "What else are we supposed to expect?"

"There are a lot of people that don't want to be here that can be reasoned with, Jason," Locke quietly answered. "Like these ones." For technically being our enemy, Locke was quite a reasonable individual. "Please, just let my friend go." His plea sounded sincere. "He's a little headstrong. And he didn't listen to me." Jason grumbled under his breath. Locke's vibrant green eyes were begging us, though he could easily fight us all the same. He's made his accuracy with a tomahawk clearer than a summer afternoon sky. Yet instead, here he was using words to accomplish his goals.

"Why should we?"

Bubbles' voice broke the silence, both flat and querulous. It was a shock that Bubbles would speak, but to say something like that….

"Of course," Locke gave a short carefree laugh, "I wouldn't expect you to yield up such a valuable bargaining chip for nothing." He looked at me in particular with a dazzling smile. Holding out his hand, he said, "Locke Gedeckt, at your service." I took his hand in a firm handshake, sealing the deal without waiting for us to decide as a group. I trust this one. Though I have a few reservations, I do think that it would be a wise decision to include him and Jason into our alliance.

"So you're just going to ally with us? Just like that?" Indigo asked incredulously. The disbelief was growing exponentially in the atmosphere of the room.

"Not necessarily." Locke frowned momentarily. "A step above a slave, but a step below an ally and equal." Faorin and Indigo exchanged glances before saying anything more.

"What are you playing at?" Faorin softly questioned. "What could you possibly gain out of such a barter?" Locke smiled brightly, instantly relaxing his body posture but not sheathing the tomahawk.

"I'm glad you asked!" his eyes gained a light to them that only describable as a simple, relieved, joy. "Let me present a scenario to you." Indigo looked taken aback, while Bubbles kept completely focused on Jason. Our hostage was fixated on Locke alone, with almost a smile on his face. "What if all the tributes in the arena decided not to kill each other?" The question bounced off the walls, echoing around. There was only one logical course of action for the Capitol to take in that scenario…

"The Capitol would just send in environmental hazards that would kill them," I answered. His eyes shot to me, eyebrows raised but still in a kind of trance. He had a charismatic air to him, he was reasonable and his voice was like that of a true storyteller. But the question is if he's too good to be true. Though my gut feeling says to innately trust him, I can't help but be wary.

"Ah," Locke waggled a finger slightly in my direction. "But that would defeat the purpose of the Hunger Games, wouldn't it? There would be no show to it. If the Capitol just killed them all off, then even the denizens of the Capitol would begin to see the horror in the Game they created." He was right! Which means…"My goal is to prevent anyone from dying. None of us deserve to be here." Locke's voice began to rise with a passion that he truly believed this was possible. "So I ask of you," he held out his hand to me, sheathing his tomahawk with the other. "Will you support my cause?" A stunned silence followed. Indigo and Faorin exchanged another glance, unsure of what to do. I noticed that Finny, too enraptured with Locke's plan to speak, had hope glittering in his eyes like gemstones.

It was decided when Bubbles just let Jason go, taking out each knife blade meticulously and handing them back to Faorin. Jason stumbled up and towards Locke, looking flushed.

"Well, I suppose that if Bubbles trusts you, it's fine," Indigo sighed, obviously the most skeptical of the bunch. So it was official! We now had two more members to our alliance. Locke and Jason looked confused at the mention of Bubbles' name.

"Bubbles?" Jason could only snicker in disbelief. AbX32o1-999 only stared unflinchingly back. Jason visibly shrunk a little out of intimidation. "Err, nice name…Bubbles that is. Interesting." Locke sighed and rubbed his temples out of exasperation.

"We barely know your names, but Jason, that was the most terrible diplomatic etiquette I've ever seen out of you," he snorted slightly out of laughter. "What are the rest of your names?"

"I'm Indigo."

"My name is Faorin."

"I'm Finny!"

"And my name is Caeda," I calmly added, almost in a foil to the hyperactive energy Finny seemed to be filled with. The opportunity had presented itself in which he would not have to kill anyone, and obviously he was all for it. Though I have a sense of unease on how far this will take us…what would happen if we defied the Capitol? Obviously not good things, but perhaps more than just a single person could get out of this alive; perhaps it was more than just a dream to live…

"What was up there at the Cornucopia?" Faorin stated in an attempt to officially break the ice and get on better terms. Locke smiled again, and even Jason had a faint little smirk on his face.

"Everything you could possibly need," Locke rattled off. "Food, bags, water bottles, weaponry, sleeping bags, rope…" The entire alliance's face lit up with delight. "Do you want to head up there?" He was met with eager nods and with a simple gesture, asked us to follow him. We trudged up the slick slope in awkward silence. Our original group was barely comfortable with itself, but with the addition of two near-strangers, it was even more difficult to start up conversation. Luckily for all of us, we reached the top of the tunnel before the silence thickened to a stifling point. Jason carefully stepped ahead of everyone else, tentatively poking his head out of the tunnel and creeping out slowly in a wary manner. He straightened up suddenly.

"All clear. Here it is," Jason gestured to the behemoth stack of supplies. I darted out of the hole and next to him to see it.

"Wow," I breathed, almost speechless. "This could last us for the entire game." Eagerly, the rest of the alliance shot out of the tunnel to see our possible saving grace. Stacks upon stacks of food, containers, water, knapsacks, weaponry, tools, rope- it seemed anything you could possibly need in this Game was here. Additionally, there were quite a few items that made much less sense in their presence here. A fine china plate, a feathered hat sticking out of a drawstring bag, giving the illusion that it was a bundle of arrows, a curling iron, an extra shoe (only one?), A piece of a mirror, a can opener (there was no canned food present either), a small bag of cat food, and a set of four 'U' shaped pieces of metal with randomly placed indentations along its curve, to name a few.

"Well then, why don't we set up camp?" Faorin took the lead with a small clap of her hands. "I'll set up a few sleeping bags and tents with Caeda. Indigo, why don't you go with Jason and get kindling materials? We can set up a fire in here with little worry we'll be tracked and discovered for a small period of time." She immediately started to climb the mound of goods dexterously, never losing her footing or handgrip.

"What would you have Bubbles, Finny, and I do?" Locke called up in question. His voice echoed and bounced off the wall like a rubber ball.

"The rest of you can gather and sort materials. Preferably hide the food as well," she responded, "and Bubbles, could you plug up the tunnel we came from? Just dump mud, rocks, or whatever you can find to make it seem like a natural seal." She was busily at work, yet she gave out orders clearly and logically. I had looked over to see Finny hold back laughter upon picking up the random bag of cat food I had seen earlier when I felt a sudden blow stun my senses from my torso, up. I looked down to realize I had been hit with a cushy sleeping bag, then quickly looked up to see an exasperated Faorin. "Watch carefully, Caeda! I didn't realize you weren't paying attention, and I'm sorry about that, but really! We need to get to work before the nighttime hours fall!" The kind of light trickling through the true exit was darkening to a gold hue, thus sunset wasn't very far away at all. She was right; we needed to work now and hard. Time flew by faster than I realized. The more sleeping bags lay out and tents set up I managed to deal with, the less of a grip on time I had. Even when we were underground, I was not nearly this disoriented by time. An hour must have passed at the very least by the time Jason and Indigo returned, with faint smiles on their faces and arms full of dry grasses, twigs, and sticks. We had set up everything we would need to sleep tonight, but the next order of business was food.

"Do we want to eat from the stock Cornucopia food, or go out and get our own?" Faorin once again led the discussion. Indigo smirked triumphantly.

"Actually," he held out three rabbits, and two pheasants, "I had grabbed another extending pike here before I left. Turns out, it's really handy for catching animals you can't directly reach." Locke smiled in response, holding out a hand to take the dead animals that were scheduled to become our dinner.

"Jason and I can take care of this," he cheerily stated. Jason had already started skinning a rabbit. Locke produced a long pole from one of the stacks he had sorted through and two long 'Y' shaped stakes as well. "But could someone start up the fire while we take care of preparations?" Finny retrieved a flint and steel, handing it off to Bubbles. The stoic monk-like individual quickly set to lighting the kindling. Meanwhile, Faorin had handed Finny and I several plates and canteens filled with water. I assumed we were to distribute them to everyone.

"Hey Finny," I whispered to him as we walked together from handing plates to Jason and Locke. "What do you think of them?" Unsurprisingly, he smiled with hopeful radiance.

"I really think they can end this Game peacefully for all of us," he whispered back, barely audible. For his sake, I hope he is right…it wasn't long before dinner was ready. Jason had cut the meat expertly, and Locke seemed to know just how to cook them. Jason had even grabbed a few wild herbs he had recognized while he was out, and Bubbles confirmed that they were what they appeared to be, even tasting them at the risk of his life. I thought I remembered hearing that in a prior Hunger Games, they had poisoned all the water, herbs, plants, and animals. Thankfully, it seems that it is not the case with this Game. It wasn't long before we had the chance to dig in, all sitting by the fireside exchanging stories. The pheasant tasted unlike anything I had ever had before, with a burst of spice and flavor, and the rabbit was much more tolerable to eat than I had initially thought it would be, though that probably had to do with the duo that prepared and cooked it. The fire was warm, and everyone was finally at ease with full stomachs. The atmosphere was almost relaxed, definitely at ease. Bubbles actually smiled! And Indigo laughed! Maybe…this is more plausible of an alliance than it looked to be originally. Jason began to explain what they had done after the Game had started.

"We had left on Faorin's warning, then looped back after an hour because we thought the dragon might have left, and saw that no one was here!" Jason explained. Locke snorted a little water out his nose in surprise.

"No, we turned back because you nearly got stuck in a thorn bush going the way we were," Jason's companion snickered. Indigo raised an eyebrow in question, and Locke caught sight of it before Indigo could say anything. "To the right," he gestured off towards the citadel I had glimpsed earlier, "We had seen an enormous tower among a forest. Upon deciding we should go there, we discovered that the vegetation in the forest has grown in to the point of being unable to maneuver and navigate."

"Unable to navigate?" I asked in puzzlement. "How close were the trees to each other?" Locke slightly frowned before responding, deep in thought attempting to recall the distance, presumably.

"I believe…a foot to a foot and a half or so," he eventually answered. For the trees to be that close together and there to be such overgrown brush, the forest would be an impassable route to take. Unless there was another way to circumvent it, I don't see how we can go that way…The castle wasn't a viable option either, so if we go to look for others, we're either going up the mountain or to the plains off to the left. Not that we would have to leave with the Cornucopia here, but just in case an emergency would happen, I need to know my options.

"I've never seen trees grow that close before!" Finny gasped in amazement. "I mean, there was a bog near home that had cypress trees grow relatively close together, but they were submerged in water, and their spindly roots grow like…like a cage almost. Very compact, unlike a regular tree." Though Finny had piped up, I could see a sense of loss behind his eyes as he spoke. He missed his District. He didn't want to leave his mother in such a cruel way. He wanted to go home, like all of us did. After all that's happened today, even the near-death experiences, I don't blame him. But…this is only day one. There were more ahead of us, and my gut feeling says that this is only the beginning.

Suddenly, I felt very tired. The constant fear and adrenaline had really taken a lot out of me, and I don't think I could take first watch.

"I'm going to go to sleep," I slurred. "I really need it…" Faorin, with concern highlighted in her gaze, showed me where I was to sleep. One of the cushier sleeping bags. "I don't need a nice one." She shook her head.

"This would have been mine. You should take it. We've all worked hard today, and you deserve it," she argued quietly. Perhaps it was because she thought I was handling this all extremely well for someone my age, or maybe not, but I was entirely too drained to argue further. I saw Jason talk to Faorin out of the corner of my eye, who both looked rather concerned, but as soon as I had curled up in the sleeping bag, I slipped away to a void of unconsciousness.

**This is the nicest chapter I've written so far! :D ...I'm sorry it's late. So I wrote more as apology. I hope you all like the new additions!**

**-Legend**


	6. The Dead of Night: 54 Hours Remain

**Chapter 6: The Dead of Night: 54 Hours Remain **

**A/N: A quick word of warning, it gets a little...violent...and gruesome sortof...you know, it's rated T. I think that's fairly accurate enough of a description. **

I don't know why I awoke in the middle of the night. Several limp forms illuminated by faint moonlight lay around me, but most alarming was the scene near the exit of the cave. It was difficult to tell who was there, since the fire had died down to nothing but coals, but I saw three figures. Two were facing towards one other, a larger one and a small, more petite one. Judging by the people I could barely make out around me, it would seem to be Bubbles and Faorin. The third was difficult to judge, until they spoke. Their conversation echoed off the cavern walls, and I could hear every word as clear as day.

"Did you really think you could hold the Cornucopia? That's the career's job!" an unfamiliar voice hissed, threateningly slashing an object through the air. The other two backed away slightly. "You don't stand a chance." The female voice was a dark sneering purr, and judging by the way she held herself; she was very prideful of her status.

"Back off," Faorin's voice commanded. It was unlike the orders I had heard earlier today; it had a deadly quality to it that was disarmingly quiet. Her small throwing knives glinted in light from where I was. Something sank in the pit of my stomach, and it was cold. My heart rate shot up faster than a chased rabbit. These intruders could kill us...I don't want to die. Not yet, not after such a stroke of luck. My hands curled into fists, tightening, along with my resolve. The effort to push down the fear was more than I thought it would, but I had to keep a clear head. If there were truly intruders, I would have to wake everyone up. Closest to me lay Indigo, sprawled out on the ground spread-eagled, jaws slightly parted with a little drool at the corner of his mouth. He was obviously sleeping soundly. Slowly and quietly to avoid detection, I crawled over to him. I couldn't focus on the voices on the other end of the cave as well as focus on my objectives at this hour, so I decided to get close to Indigo. How to wake him up…aha! I pinched his nostrils together and held them that way for a few seconds before his eyes the color of indigo dye fluttered open. He started to say something, but I cupped my hand over his mouth. It immediately became moist due to the hot breath on it, but he was looking pretty confused. Before he could do anything else I leaned down by his ear.

"There are intruders. Prepare to fight and stay undetected while awake," I breathed into it as soundlessly as I could manage while getting the message across. He made a tiny indiscriminant nod and started crawling ever so slowly to Locke. That left me with Finny and Jason. I figured Jason was lying next to Locke, since I couldn't see him, so I decided to wake Finny. I looked about the cave. Inky blackness everywhere but the mouth, where Faorin was just about ready to try to rip the newcomer to shreds, but otherwise, the coast was clear. Bubbles was at an awkward angle from my vantage, and I couldn't see his shadow from here, but the voices were getting louder. The tense standoff at the entrance seemed to be escalating; I had to hurry! Meticulously and carefully, I inched closer to Finny, who was practically curled up in a ball while sleeping. Luckily he was facing me, so I repeated the process I used to wake Indigo.

"And what do you think you're doing?"

The deep, flat voice completely devoid of emotion sent a jolt through my body, causing my heart to skip a beat and a cold dread rising in my stomach like bile. I stopped breathing entirely. Slowly, I tilted my head back at an angle to see a hulking figure behind me, unidentifiable in the lighting, but terrifying all the same. I did not know him. There was a tense moment of silence before a predator closes in on its prey that just realized its hunter's presence. There was no time to think. I acted completely on instinct. I rolled left, just avoiding the heavy thud of metal slamming where I just was. OhmyGodohmyGodohmyGodIdon'twanttodienotnownonono…t he hysteria swarmed my mind like a cloud of insects. My breathing came in fast, scared, gasps. A glance over my shoulder told me that Finny seemed alright, which should have elicited a moment of relief at the very least, had I not also caught sight of the enormous battle axe that had almost taken my head off in one swing. My enemy was pursuing swiftly, but I had a tiny bit of maneuvering space to keep running.

"Help!" I cried out, hoping somebody would come to my rescue. No one moved. Faorin and Bubbles were fighting the other person; it was then that I realized something. Indigo was over by Faorin and Bubbles, and Finny wasn't moving. Locke was on my pursuer's heels.

Jason was nowhere to be found.

Locke suddenly tackled the bulkier individual and raised a tomahawk intending to put it around his neck, but was thrown off like an unbroken horse fights its first rider. He crashed to the floor, dazed. The massive mountain of an individual ran faster after me. I could only focus on the constant pounding sensation in my chest and the fear creating beads of cold sweat on my head and a growing franticness. My only chance of escape was to get past Bubbles, Faorin, Indigo, and the other intruder. Dots swarmed the edges of my vision. Is this real? Is this a nightmare? I glanced back again at my pursuer, who Locke determinedly sprinted after but couldn't catch up to. I can't afford to take the plunge and find out. Up ahead, Finny had stumbled after the secondary intruder while I had been running in circles, holding his trident sluggishly, but Faorin shoved him back, obviously more awake. I suddenly recognized the female enemy: Napier Atelier of District 1. She had such dark hair, pulled back, that it looked blue in the lighting, and sharp, cunning eyes that snapped to me as I drew near.

It all happened in a few seconds.

She feinted left and shot past Faorin to the right-

Wait is she coming at me?

Her wrist coiled back, like a rearing snake-

And snapped in a wide arcing motion.

That projectile-a throwing dagger-is coming straight at me!

I wish it didn't end like this-

Is it going to hurt?

I heard a scream claw out of my throat, but I closed my eyes-

I don't want them to have to see the lights leave my eyes-

Like I had to watch Dad-

I'm sorry. I was a burden to begin with. To everyone.

A force slammed me to the ground-

….

...

...

...

...

...

...

….

….

What?

Hesitantly, I opened my eyes. I couldn't believe what I saw in the least.

Bubbles was standing over me, A dagger sticking out of his stave, and blocking a heavy blow from the bulky intruder. He was breathing hard, and sweating with tremendous effort.

"Caeda….move…"he growled through grit teeth. His eyes flashed a slight moment of desperation, like he thought he wasn't going to come out of this alive. He, who has the best chances of doing so. I stumbled to my feet over to Faorin, who placed a protective hand on my shoulder. Indigo had restrained Napier, though she was fighting him tooth and nail. "When one of us collapses," he stated quietly between pants," you have to run. All of you. It doesn't matter if it's me or him." If he dies because he defended me, I will never forgive myself. I already cannot forgive myself for enough things, might as well add another to the list. This must be a nightmare. It must be. It isn't real. And I could see the reluctance in our alliance to follow that order. Locke had busily gathered essential supplies into two knapsacks with Finny's help prior to my close call, now running over to the rest of us.

"Caeda…." AbX32o1-999 directly addressed me. "You cannot give up. You must keep going." Before I could even vocalize a question to those words, his stave broke cleanly in half and he collapsed to the ground. I didn't realize I screamed in shock.

"Do you know who I am?"

That cold, unfeeling voice's owner rested his axe on Bubbles' shoulder. "I am Odin Yggdraval. And I will be your murderer." He looked at me with eyes the color of steel. I flinched. "That goes for all of you." Time seemed to slow down. Odin raised the battle axe.

"GO!" AbX32o1-999 shouted at the top of his lungs, eyes closed. Finny and Locke darted past, Locke looking incredibly worried. Wait where is-? Napier suddenly broke free of Indigo and darted out the cave exit, causing everyone else to take off after her and for freedom. As Faorin passed me, a look of tremendous guilt flashed across her face. She was not wearing her eye patch, and her branded eye glowed faintly. I barely heard it.

"I'm so sorry. So so sorry…"

The axe swung down, diagonally, cleaving straight through his shoulder across his torso, coming out by his hip. He screamed in agony, one final noise of life. He was practically torn in two. His head flopped backwards at an unnatural angle, his glazed eyes looking at me with urgency. The light was gone. It was as if I were staring at marbles. All this time, I hadn't realized, we had been living a dream.

This is reality.

We are not invincible.

It doesn't matter who we are, it could be anyone that dies. Twelve or eighteen years of age, twenty-four of us stepped into this arena and only one is coming out.

Bubbles is dead. Our silent sentinel.

He died to save us, to give us a chance.

He died to save me.

Everything snapped into priorities right then and there. He died to save _me._ I bolted in a quick U-turn, Odin Yggdraval hot on my heels. I caught sight of Faorin darting into the forests to my left so I followed. I seemed to be running significantly faster than her for some reason, catching up to only be twenty feet away pretty quickly. Odin on the other hand, was not a fast runner but a steady runner. His stamina could well outlast any of us I would bet. The trees grew close together with spindling branches and roots, as well as overgrown bushes on the ground, but they were not the trees that Locke and Jason had spoken of. It became harder and harder to keep track of Faorin by sight. My vision blurred, and I wasn't sure if it was because I was exhausted or if it was the tears leaking out of my eyes. Oh no, I should have turned left there…I'll correct my course at the next possible break in the underbrush. A wave of death scent hit me, and suddenly, complete terror slammed my chest. I couldn't breathe. Ican'tbreathethisisstiflingandrotten, Ohgodohgodohgod-

I had no words.

This can be none other than a _nightmare._

In front of me lay a mangled…thing.

This can't be real, can't be real, no way-

Everything clicked into place.

The worried look on Locke's face-

_'Where is-?'_

Horribly gruesome, splatter all over the place, was the body of Jason Hollow.

He must have gone out hunting later this past night and been ambushed only a few hours ago. His body in total bore no wounds aside from small bleeding dots, but his head….oh God, his head…

His head had literally exploded.

The splatter of grisly pieces of brain and blood had sprayed every surrounding tree in a radius.

His neck was a mess of blood, tubes, and organs that-

"Blecchh,"I coughed, then vomited all over the ground. I collapsed, barely able to take my eyes off of him-no, it- in morbid, horrific fascination. Blood…blood everywhere. I've never seen this much blood, so dark, brownish-black and sticky. My legs were covered in it now. I was shaking badly. How did he die like this? Then I saw it. There it lay in front of him-it-, shining, blood-bathed in the moonlight.

A single pin.

I saw another one, sticking out of his armpit.

He was killed with _pins?_

Jason-

_'Are you hostile?'_ he had hotly asked while coming at Bubbles-oh God, Bubbles too-

_'Bubbles? Err, nice name….Bubbles that is. Interesting.'_

Both of them are dead.

Something tightened in my chest like a cold fist, hot tears leaking out more, freezing my heart more-

Oh God, Locke….

_'Please, just let my friend go. He's a little headstrong. And he didn't listen to me.'_

They were so close…

A faraway crashing through bushes forcibly dragged me back to the situation at hand. Shakily, I stood, but collapsed back to the ground after slipping. I have to…_'You cannot give up. You must keep going.'_ ….keep moving. I swallowed the grief in my heart, and the hollow-

Hollow…Jason Hollow…Why, Jason-?

I didn't even know him that long and this is incredibly upsetting….

-Because this isn't right.

I stood up, no longer so shaky, took one final glance as goodbye, and jogged away, running through the undergrowth with renewed speed.

No matter what now, I must help Locke's cause. He is right, this entire Hunger Games problem has been going on for far too long and it isn't humane in the least.

I was surprised how easily I caught up to everyone.

"Caeda?" Faorin nearly screamed. "What happened-?" Despite her hysteria, I refused to let it shake me any further.

"Where's Locke?" I asked panting heavily. It still took a lot out of me to get here….

"He told us to meet him at the small pass up past the forest," she answered, still alarmed. "What happened?!"

"Jason's dead," I stated quietly. Indigo's gaze hardened, and she looked down and bit her lip. Finny's eyes were red and bloodshot, tearstains visible on his face in the night lighting. "We have to keep moving. We cannot let them catch up to us." Without waiting for them, I jogged away. Faorin followed with heavy footsteps, the others close behind. It was actually only a few minutes before we came up to the pass.

"Help, guys!" Locke had yelped, running from Napier, dodging his tomahawk swings expertly like she had been doing such all her life. Wait, she had, she's from District 1. Indigo mercilessly went after her, just barely piercing her skin on her arm with a flick of his wrist and the extending pike. She licked the shallow wound like an animal, and growled like one, too. The pass had two high raising cliff sides and a single pathway branching in a 'Y' up ahead. Napier, now focused on Indigo and Faorin as a tag team, began a standoff with them silently. Locke came over to me to catch his breath, tossing Finny the secondary bag he had, presumably filled with supplies for us. When he saw me, his eyes widened.

"Caeda…" he whispered, "What happened?" I swallowed hard, unable to meet his bright eyes. I was afraid they wouldn't ever be that bright again when I told him.

"Locke…." I whispered, barely audible back. "Jason is dead."

His face went through a variety of emotions in seconds. Shock, disbelief, pain, anger, fury, grief, pure sorrow, and finally settling on a hard gaze. His eyes were like glass, fragile and threatening to break. I felt like I broke him and his dream. Our dream. That all of us could get out of here alive.

"I…I see," he hoarsely responded. His voice had changed. It lost that magic it had since the moment I met him. Now it was just like any of ours: solemn and horribly, irrevocably broken. Before he could say more, Napier burst out.

"Now, Odin!" On one cliff, the massive hulking figure had raised a boulder over his head, threatening to throw it.

"We need to go now!" I shouted, yanking Indigo's shirt backwards. Everyone was behind me. I had a single choice to make, right or left. I always make the wrong choice.

I want to make the right one this time.

I shot to the right, Finny on my heels, Faorin then Indigo right behind.

Locke was lagging.

Napier pulled a golden hair stick from her pulled up hair and coiled her hand again. Those hair sticks were her token, but she seemed to have sharpened them to use as weapons…!

She released and it jabbed Locke in the left arm hard, drawing blood like an enormous splinter. He staggered left and that was all the opening Odin needed.

He threw the boulder towards Locke, who scurried out of the way to safety easily enough…

But Locke was now effectively separated from us. The left path was now blocked off and Locke was stuck.

"I'll be okay!" he yelled over with great pain and difficulty evident in his voice. "We'll meet up again later! Keep going!"

_'You cannot give up. You must keep going.' _

Images of Bubbles, ripped in two, of Jason, exploded into bits, and now Locke, dead as a doornail flashed through my mind.

"Caeda, he'll be okay," Finny firmly reassured me. "He's Locke. He has rationality and strength on his side."

Yes Finny, but so did Bubbles, and look what happened to him. I almost burst into tears on the spot again, but held back. Though we had a head start, Napier and Odin could catch up with us at any time. I glanced back.

"Why are they going back?" I asked in puzzlement. "I don't under…stand…."

The Cornucopia.

Bubbles, our strength,

Jason, our food,

And every shred of supplies we had aside from a little backpack thrown together in a few moments of crisis. Total loss crushed me.

We've lost everything.

**Firstly, a few milestones! 250 views! :D Additionally, 10 review! That's really exciting for me, guys! I never thought I would be able to keep up writing a serious story at all, but I have to say, it's the knowledge that there are people reading this, and obviously liking it that keeps me going here. The poll has been updated with new choices, and you can choose two or three people as your favorites I think...also, Odin and Napier. Their Names: (long O)-dihn Yig-druh-vaul and Nau-pee-air (Short a) at-el-eer.**

**Give me your thoughts!**

**-Sinfonian Legend**


	7. Dawn of the Second Day: 48 Hours Remain

It's been hours since we were separated from Locke.

At first, we had just followed the path in silence. Scenery had passed by numbly, so much less vibrant and beautiful and significant in the early light and now that the adrenaline had worn off, the loss had finally set in. Those who are left behind are the ones who pick up the pieces. It doesn't hurt to be the one to die…it hurts most to be the one still in this world having to live the rest of your life with their absence.

It was at least two hours before anything happened or was said. It had occurred suddenly.

"Why are we even bothering?" Indigo had asked to no one in particular in a small voice. It escalated when the dark-haired teenager collapsed to his knees.

"Are you okay?!" Finny, alarmed practically shouted in shock. I was hanging around the back at the time and dazed, but the yelling shook me out of it for the time being. Faorin had gotten down to his eye level.

"We don't even stand a chance. Shouldn't we just give up? Wait for death to come?" His eyes were dark and broken like shattered windows. I saw something flare up in Faorin's eyes.

"No," she growled. "Don't you have people waiting for you back home? You might not realize it, but you would be missed. No matter if it was that inconsiderate asshole at work or a classmate you barely knew, you've made an impact on a lot of people." She had grabbed the front of his shirt and forced his eyes to meet hers. "You have something to live for."

"So did Jason. So did Bubbles," he whispered back, "So do 22 other people stuck in this death match." Finny bit his lip and looked off to the side, thinking about his family presumably. I have my mother…but I don't have much of anyone else. Except maybe Faorin, Indigo, and Finny.

"Make that 21," she corrected him, her voice dangerously low, "Don't you remember? I'm not really a person here. I'm an experiment. I have no friends, no family. I have nothing to lose here." It was then that I saw his eyes snap into focus and his gaze darkened. That was the Indigo I knew, not the one that was losing it only moments before.

"You have me, Caeda, and Finny, and even Locke," Indigo rebutted hotly, "You could win this with that ability of yours, even if we all end up dead. But even though you have that advantage, you're still human like the rest of us. Not an experiment, not a thing…" he trailed off before saying something even quieter that I barely caught, "at least, not to me. You're Faorin, and you're the one I trust most with my life. After all, you've saved it quite a few times already…" Faorin's eyes lit up with shock and a slight tint of pink stained her face. For the first time this entire game, I saw a small smile on her face. A rustle in the large brush shook my attention away from the scene. I became aware that we had entered a very jungle-like area with vines coming down from densely covered trees and high brush along a fairly narrow pathway. I readied my weapons of choice, Indigo stood suddenly in front of Faorin, almost protectively, with a pike in his hand and a focused gaze. Finny pointed his trident at the bush hesitantly.

A hand pushed away a massive leaf and we were face to face with another human being.

She had a startled expression and surprisingly vivid, warm, dark brown eyes. In terms of age, she was definitely on the higher end of the scale, being around sixteen or seventeen years old. Her hair was even darker, almost black but still brown, and it was pulled up into a high ponytail, though bangs framed her face nicely. On her right ear was a distinct black permanent marker. She said nothing when she saw us, but I noticed a bow in one hand and an arrow loosely strung in the other, though she moved neither hand, frozen upon seeing us. A strap across her torso seemed to hold a handful of supplies but most pressing was the large crossbow she had on her back.

"Who are you?" Finnian asked cautiously, lowering his weapon slightly. He received no response, but instead the girl slowly lowered her bow to the ground and the arrow, leaving them there, then took the marker off her ear. Curiously enough, she began to write on the rock in front of her jutting out from the road. In only moments she was done with a flourish of her writing utensil, and gestured at her writing and held her hands up in a kind of surrender. Wary, Faorin looked at us.

"Anyone want to read it….?" She asked hesitantly.

"I will." Finny answered, his voice quivering slightly. The girl stepped forward towards us and knelt in front of the stone so Finny could get around and read it.

"My name is Artelind Friday," he read. "I was born with a vocal deformity, and I am mute because of it. Since we are both traveling the same direction, would you like to ally for a short while? I have no intention of harming any of you; I just want to survive as long as I can and track down the real monsters before they murder the innocent in droves. Now, would you accept my company? I'll just leave on another path otherwise." Finny looked up at us in question. Now I recognized her wiry, but strength-filled frame. She was Artelind, the lone wolf who did not and could not say anything whatsoever. In fact, in her interview she typed what she wanted to say remarkably fast into a device that would speak it for her, though she had no such luxury in the Game. She was from District 9, the hunting district that brought in a variety of game such as ducks, quail, deer, and other varieties. It was said that in their district, they encountered much more exotic animals than any other district could and would, like lions and monkeys. The Capitol obtains the more luxurious meat, fur, and game here to send off to its own entity or District 1 to process the furs and skins for use. Additionally, there are some people in that district that match the careers in strength, skill, and experience due to their hunting abilities, as Artelind's appearance suggests her proficiency with ranged weapons.

"Just a moment," Faorin politely states, keeping an eye on the newcomer. She turned towards us and whispered very quietly, "What do you all think? I personally think yes."

"She's from District 9," Indigo shifted uneasily. "She could probably single-handedly take all of us out. It's not like we can hear her voice and figure out her intentions." Finny scowled at him at this.

"Just because I'm from District 4 doesn't mean I'm a master fisherman," he grumbled. "Just because you're from District 6 doesn't mean you're fantastic at weaving textiles, clothing and tapestries. Don't think too much of stereotypes." Indigo looked down in shame, realizing his judgmental mistake.

"Look, if she wanted to kill us, she would do it already," I piped up. Finny looked at me and smiled a little, thankful for the support. Bubbles wasn't there to give a solid say. It was honestly up to Faorin and Indigo. If Finny had said yes, I had implied yes, and Faorin had said yes, it was logical for Indigo to agree.

"Okay," he sighed, turning to Artelind. "You can travel with us." She smiled, not exposing her teeth, but widely enough to close her eyes, and nodded gratefully. Then she picked up her bow and walked next to Finny. "Let's go…" The awkward silence was too much to bear after a mere ten minutes.

"So…your name is Artelind?" Finny asked. She nodded. "It's a very pretty name…" Artelind looked off to the side and blushed. "I guess you're good with a bow?" She nodded again, this time slinging an arrow from her quiver smoothly and launching it in one motion through the crook of a tree and through a leaf, landing on the grassy path.

"You're an excellent shot!" Faorin exclaimed, surprised. Indigo looked exasperated like he already knew how fine-tuned her sharp-shooting skills were, and Finny was awed, just like me.

"How long have you been shooting?" I inquired curiously. She thought for a moment then splayed out all of her fingers. What could that mean? Ten fingers…"Ten years?" She nodded, with a nostalgic expression resembling, 'Yeah, ten years…since I was seven or so!" Or as I liked to think, that's what it appeared to be like…the scenery abruptly broke off up ahead.

"Is that a..?" Finny started to say before breaking off in a short laugh. "No. There's no way they…the Gamemakers did. I can't believe it."

Up ahead, illuminated by the morning sun, just rising, was a stone temple, covered in vines and showing its age. It lay on a river, an architectural marvel, and right past the temple the river ended suddenly in a straight drop off. The heavy forest around it parted around the area like it had always been there. The temple was made of the same smooth stone as the castle before, though worn and cracked with vines running through it. I ran ahead, heedless of my alliance, and the soft, barely noticeable footsteps behind me could only be Artelind's. As I hoped, the river ended in a fantastic waterfall, plummeting over hundreds of feet of worn stone into a ravine. I glanced at Artelind and her face was lit up with happiness at the natural beauty and wonder of the landscape. Everyone else caught up, breathless, but just as awed.

"It's…incredible," Faorin breathed, absorbing the sight. In the morning sun, the area looked majestic, as if this was some sort of sight so fantastic that it was reserved for the eyes of royals, and we were granted a special privilege to catch a glimpse. I glanced over at the others, each just as stricken as could be. Faorin wasn't wearing her eye patch, as she had left it behind when we fled…

"I…wow," Finny broke the silence. "As amazing as this is…shouldn't we get moving?" We all snapped our attention to him. Wait…is Finny getting a spine? As tragic as this morning was and has been…it seems he's been able to put off his grief and gain a new determination to get through this.

" Yeah," Indigo agreed reluctantly. "We really should…but that temple is far too dangerous to go through. Why risk our lives in there unless we have to?" Faorin looked around and frowned.

"Where should we go next, though?" she asked. "The ravine is too far a drop, and the path ends here…I don't think going off the path is a good idea." Artelind shook her head a few times, looking quite concerned. She glanced left and right, and sighed, producing her marker, but flipping it upside down and uncapping it. The marker is double sided! She wrote on her arm quickly and I walked over to see it when she held her arm out.

"Why don't we stay here? We would be trapped if we descended down the cliffs to the ravine, and the temple could be a shelter for the night if need be, although a home in the high trees is more preferable. It seems you need food, so we can take shifts hunting for those who are able. The game here is plentiful enough. Although after walking for so long, a short break would not be a bad idea either." I read out loud to everyone. Thankfully my reading skills were above average, so I sounded fluent reading her message.

"Alright, then we'll stay here and catch our breath," Faorin decided for us, sitting down on a large stone on the outskirts looking out at the scenery. Gradually we all fell in beside her; Indigo on the ground next to her, Artelind crouched to her right, myself on a smaller rock a few feet away and Finny between Indigo and I. I believe a whole half hour went by without a word being said.

"That's it."

I looked over in surprise at Faorin. She had stood up from her position around the fire and looked at each one of us hard in the eye. "As much as the loss hurts, we have to stop moping," she firmly stated. "We can mourn them when this mess is over. But we need to focus on staying positive and staying alive right now." I found myself nodding without realizing it. Indigo looked downward in guilt. Finny had moved on, now Faorin, and I was almost there, but Indigo had not recovered much at all throughout the morning. I mean, somebody fairly close to us died, but…this is the Hunger Games. "I could drop dead right now, and I would expect you to move on in mere hours, all of you." Indigo's head shot up in alarm and a look of fear crossed his features for a moment.

"I...Faorin I need to talk to you in private," he stuttered softly. With eyebrows raised, she followed him into the thicket behind me. They hadn't gone far, since I could hear them muffled behind bushes. An awkward silence engulfed us remaining leaving only the faraway roar of the falls. Finny, sensing the heavy silence, moved closer to Artelind and took Faorin's former space on the stone. I was the only one that could hear Indigo talking to Faorin.

"I've needed to tell you something for a while..."

"What? You don't trust me? I'm too suspicious, too overbearing, what?" She guessed roughly like she was expecting criticism.

"No!" He responded defensively. "None of those things..."

"Well spit it out." Her voice softened slightly with concern.

"What's that?" He asked, very alarmed. "That sound?" She took a moment to listen as well.

"It's... Chittering."

I saw them immediately; Dog-sized deep purple colored monkeys with sharp teeth and glowing reddish eyes. There were about a dozen of them heading our way. One leapt from its perch at Finny, too far away for me to do anything to help him. I couldn't reach him. Artelind jumped to her feet, shoved him off the boulder and went into a roll, and landed in a crouch on the ground. From that position, she shot her previously loaded crossbow expertly through the demonic looking monkey. A few started coming after Artelind, but the majority looked towards Faorin and Indigo's direction suddenly and darted that way screeching murderously. Obviously a ploy of the Gamemakers to further take away the strengths of our group.

"Caeda, we'll catch up, just help them!" Finnian called across to me, dodging a viciously snarling-mutt, I just realized- for Artelind to shoot. I didn't think, but ran in pursuit. Straight through the undergrowth I saw a dip in which the two had fallen. They were surrounded, now by at least two dozen. This doesn't look good...

"Caeda stay back, it's not safe here!" Indigo shouted up to me. "Get to safety!" Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't have listened and jumped into the fray, but the desperate look in Indigo's eyes convinced me otherwise. I knew, he thought that if they didn't make it out alive, he didn't want to take me down, too. More than likely, he would just be defending me, and I don't want to bog him down further. Luckily for me, the tree next to me had an opening at its base large enough for me to fit through and squish into out of harm's way. I had a small peephole I could barely see Indigo and Faorin out of.

"Faorin, duck!" Indigo pivoted quickly and extended his pike over her head at a hellish monkey that would have blindsided her. As soon as he had retracted his pike, she shot up, a whirling, deadly force of knives and well-placed kicks. Even though they were making great progress it seemed, more and more descended in a state of frenzy.

"You know what I wanted to say earlier?!" Indigo yelled, blocking a muttation lunging for his head and skewering it through as he knocked it away.

"Is this really the time?!" Faorin, surprised, answered with a shock, though she was preoccupied with hacking and slashing a couple of monkeys to pieces before they did more than the few scratches notable on her arms and face.

"Yes! Because if I wait too long it'll be too late!" He responded hotly. A few moments of combat went by before he finally said it. "I have feelings for you! I care about you! And if something would happen to you I...wouldn't be far behind. Be careful, Faorin, please..."

She stopped entirely regardless of the onslaught. He quickly swooped by her and defended her position as best he could.

"You...care about me? The experiment? You sure about that?" She weakly answered, thinking it was a cruel joke. "I...thought I had nothing to lose." It seemed the final wave was flooding in, about five creatures launching out of the trees simultaneously.

"I need your help," Indigo pleaded through grit teeth. "And I can't make it through this without you." A moment passed before she jumped to her feet with renewed focus.

"Then let's finish this!"

It was spellbinding to watch. As Faorin could predict how Indigo would attack and block, she matched his movements perfectly in sync, dancing knives in either hand. At last the final mutt fell to the ground, both teenagers panting hard. Faorin fell to her knees in exhaustion.

"Do you...really mean what you said?" She softly asked. Indigo gave her a small smile.

"Yeah. Every word." He held a hand out and helped her to her feet. They were close together, her unusual eyes staring into his dusky blue ones. She didn't let go of his hand.

"I...I'll give this a shot." She returned his smile and led him gently up the slope. I crawled out of my hiding spot. As soon as Indigo sighted me his hand jerked away from hers in embarrassment.

"Uh, Caeda are you okay?" he asked, a slight blush tingeing his face. If I didn't know better, I would have thought the indigo-colored feather that was his district token tickling his face was the cause, as it hung from his hair and followed the length of his longer-length hair that came down to his chin.

"Fine," I smiled slightly. It disappeared quickly as a fact dawned on me. "Finny and Artelind!" something cold dropped what felt like meters in my stomach and I broke out into a run back into the clearing, dread growing. Not again, not again, not again….

"Is everything okay?"

Finny looked back and up at me with those beautifully colored eyes and a raised eyebrow. It seemed he had been talking to Artelind. Mutt bodies lay around the clearing here and there, and Artelind was attempting to roast one on a small, barely smoking fire. "We were just trying to get breakfast together." Indigo and Faorin emerged right behind me, and I heard their relieved sighs from feet behind me.

"You think they're edible?" Indigo asked incredulously, a stifled laugh in his tone. Finnian shrugged.

"One way to find out!"

**A/N: I'm sorry this is really late! But I'm still within my monthly quota right? Hey it's a long-ish nice chapter, don't complain too much...It's just that I had to write something one-of-a-kind for someone very special to me, and it was nearly twice the length of a chapter for this story =_= But I still got this out even though I hit writer's block for a while! Character development! Fluff! Whee!**

**...I'm not making any promises another Chapter 6 won't happen again, but I can say that it won't happen next chapter. The whole, "nice fluffy rainbow cloud of happiness" followed by a "Nightmarish killing spree" will not be a reoccurring theme. Tell me your thoughts! Vote at the poll! Hope you enjoyed! :D**

**-Legend**


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